Thunder (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Thunder was a television series which aired on Saturday Mornings on NBC
during the 1977-1978 television season. The show centered around the adventures of Cindy Prescott (Melora Hardin
) and her friend, Willie Williams (Justin Randi) and featured Thunder, a black stallion
who ran wild near the ranch owned by the Prescott family: The cast also featured Cindy’s parents: Bill (Clint Ritchie), a rancher, and Anne (Melissa Converse), a veterinarian. Thunder was always there to rescue Cindy and/or Willie in times of trouble “caused by others’ misdeeds and thoughtlessness,” including a forest fire caused by a practical joker, and Willie being hit by a stray bullet fired by teens in a no-shooting area. Also playing a part in the adventures was Willie’s stubborn mule
, Cupcake, who was trained to “burp
” on camera.
For about a month, in an effort to improve ratings, the producers of Thunder re-titled the show “Super Horse, Starring Thunder.”
Thunder was created by the creators of Fury
, another show featuring a stallion. This show also aired on NBC, from 1955 to 1960.
Thunder was part of a 90-minute block of three live action shows to debut on NBC during the 1977 season, along with Search and Rescue: the Alpha Team
and The Red Hand Gang
. It was the only one of the three run for a full season in the United States
, with all episodes aired. (Search and Rescue: the Alpha Team was shown in prime time
in Canada
, where it was filmed and simply titled Search and Rescue, and stayed on the air for a full season.)
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
during the 1977-1978 television season. The show centered around the adventures of Cindy Prescott (Melora Hardin
Melora Hardin
Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
) and her friend, Willie Williams (Justin Randi) and featured Thunder, a black stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
who ran wild near the ranch owned by the Prescott family: The cast also featured Cindy’s parents: Bill (Clint Ritchie), a rancher, and Anne (Melissa Converse), a veterinarian. Thunder was always there to rescue Cindy and/or Willie in times of trouble “caused by others’ misdeeds and thoughtlessness,” including a forest fire caused by a practical joker, and Willie being hit by a stray bullet fired by teens in a no-shooting area. Also playing a part in the adventures was Willie’s stubborn mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
, Cupcake, who was trained to “burp
Burping
Belching involves the release of gas from the digestive tract through the mouth. It is usually accompanied with a typical sound and, at times, an odor...
” on camera.
For about a month, in an effort to improve ratings, the producers of Thunder re-titled the show “Super Horse, Starring Thunder.”
Thunder was created by the creators of Fury
Fury (TV series)
Fury is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1955–1960, starring Peter Graves as Jim Newton , Bobby Diamond as Jim's adopted son, Joey Clark Newton, and William Fawcett as ranch hand Pete Wilkey...
, another show featuring a stallion. This show also aired on NBC, from 1955 to 1960.
Thunder was part of a 90-minute block of three live action shows to debut on NBC during the 1977 season, along with Search and Rescue: the Alpha Team
Search and Rescue (TV series)
Search and Rescue is the title of a family-oriented adventure television series which was a co-production of the CTV television network in Canada and NBC in the United States during the 1977-1978 TV season. The program was aired in prime time in Canada and on Saturday mornings by NBC. It was later...
and The Red Hand Gang
The Red Hand Gang
The Red Hand Gang is an American live-action Saturday morning television series on NBC, first broadcast in 1977. The show featured five crime-solving pre-teens and their dog, who lived in the inner city...
. It was the only one of the three run for a full season in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with all episodes aired. (Search and Rescue: the Alpha Team was shown in prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where it was filmed and simply titled Search and Rescue, and stayed on the air for a full season.)
External links
- Thunder at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Thunder episode guide at 70slivekidvid.com
- Thunder page at 70slivekidvid.com